Chaihu Shugan Powder, a traditional Chinese medicine, can protect against gastrointestinal motility disorder by decreasing autophagic cell damage in the gastric interstitial cells of rats.
The research made use of in vitro cultured rat stomach interstitial cells identified by fluorescence microscopy. These cells were stimulated with glutamate for 3 hours to create a model of autophagy. The cells were then treated for 24 hours with a 10% serum containing either Chaihu Shugan Powder or an autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine. Another control group was cultured with just 10% serum, containing physiological saline. Cell health, cell ultrastructure, and the expression of autophagy-related proteins were then measured by various methods including the CCK-8 assay, transmission electron microscopy, and western blot analysis.
Discussion of Results: The study found the cells in the Chaihu Shugan Powder and 3-methyladenine groups to be healthier and contain fewer autophagic vacuoles compared to the control group. It was also found that Chaihu Shugan Powder and 3-methyladenine intervention improved cell viability and resulted in a decrease in LC3 fluorescence. There was a noted decrease in the expression levels of LC3II/I, Beclin1, and PI3KC3, and an increase in the Bcl2 expression level. This suggests that Chaihu Shugan Powder can reduce autophagic cell damage and protect interstitial cells, potentially offering a new method for treating gastrointestinal motility disorders.
